When Loretta got back on the phone, Robin gave her a rough outline of what Frank Melville had told her about Jose Alvarez’s case.
“I’ll be back late tomorrow afternoon,” Robin said. “I need to know if we raise our issues in state or federal court and any ideas you have for getting past the attorney-client privilege.”
“Got it. So, seen any werewolves yet?”
Robin laughed. “Remind me to fire you when I get back. Black Oaks is the creepiest place I’ve ever been, and all that scary stuff you told me about devil worship and werewolves has made me a nervous wreck.”
“Will I get a nice severance package?”
“Absolutely not. And don’t expect a good letter of recommendation.”
Loretta laughed. “See you tomorrow, boss.”
“See you then.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Robin went to bed a little before midnight and was awakened by sunlight. She stretched and walked to the window. The storm had passed, and the scene that greeted her was completely different from the eerie landscape that helped to form Robin’s first impression of Black Oaks.
Colorful flower beds and a variety of emerald-green shrubs decorated a green lawn that stretched from a flagstone patio to the forest that set the boundaries of the estate. Looming over the forest was the snow-covered peak of one of the Cascade mountains.
Robin packed before going downstairs for breakfast. Mrs. Raskin greeted her at the entrance to the dining room and asked her what she wanted to eat. Robin anticipated a long trip back to Portland and asked if she could get eggs and hash browns.
“Would you like bacon, sausage, or biscuits with your eggs?” Mrs. Raskin asked.
Robin laughed. “Bacon and a biscuit would be fabulous.”
“If you give me your keys, I’ll have Luther bring your bags to your car.”
Robin gave her the keys to her car and walked into the dining room. Nelly Melville was seated at one end of the dining table. Robin took a seat next to her.
“I can’t thank you enough for coming to Black Oaks,” Nelly said. “I don’t know why Dad wanted to talk to you, but he was so upbeat this morning. Whatever you told him has made him happier than I’ve seen him in years.”
At that moment, Sheila Monroe followed Frank Melville’s wheelchair into the dining room. Melville flashed a wide smile when he saw Robin.
“I’m so glad you haven’t left. I was worried I’d miss you.”
“Mrs. Raskin is preparing a feast for me, so I won’t starve on the trip to Portland.”
“Have you had a chance to go over the file I gave you?”
“I made a little headway last night.”
“And?”
“My associate is researching the key issues. I’ll be able to give you a better opinion of our chances when I talk to her.”
Robin’s experience on the return trip down Solitude Mountain was as different from the journey up as the view had been this morning from her first sight of the mansion. During the ride up, a pounding rain and the rapid sweep of the wiper blades had made every inch she had traveled an adventure. During the trip back, she found it easy to handle the curves, although she did have to concentrate when she was forced to maneuver around mud that covered parts of the road. Robin wondered if serious mudslidesor avalanches of rock and dirt ever blocked the road and cut off Black Oaks from the outside world.
Robin experienced a feeling of relief when she saw the grounds of the state hospital and knew that her journey down the mountain was over. And it was then, when she stopped having to concentrate on the road down the mountain and began thinking about the Alvarez case again, that it occurred to her that she hadn’t thought about Jeff Hodges since she’d left for Black Oaks, the previous morning.
The thought unsettled her for a moment. Was she glad that Black Oaks had distracted her from the pain she experienced every time thoughts of Jeff intruded? No, but she appreciated being freed from the pain caused by memories of what she had lost.
Robin smiled. She had loved Jeff, and still loved him as much as she had while he was alive. She resolved to keep thinking about their good times and not dwell on her loss. She knew that wouldn’t be easy, but it would be worth the effort if she could find peace.
Robin walked into the waiting room of Barrister, Berman, and Lockwood at three o’clock. After asking her secretary if there were any emergencies and checking her emails, Robin told Loretta and Ken Breland, the firm’s investigator, to meet her in the conference room.
When Robin walked in, her investigator and her associate were seated on one side of a long conference table. Robin dumped the transcripts and files in the center of the table and sat across from them. Then she handed Ken and Loretta a copy of Melville’s memo.